From: American Family Association
[afapetition@lists.afa.net]Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 11:35
AMSubject: PA Christians face 47 years for reading Bible in public

Please forward this to your family
and friends!

PENNSYLVANIA CHRISTIANS FACE 47 YEARS IN PRISON FOR READING THE BIBLE
IN PUBLIC

Philadelphia charges Christians with hate crimes,
inciting a riot, and using a deadly weapon.

Bill O'Reilly
reported on the situation on Fox News Channel.

Dear Bert,

What we have been saying
has now happened. You cannot quote what the Bible has to say about
homosexuality in public or you will be charged with a "hate crime."
Philadelphia is only the beginning. If we fail to take a stand here, this
"crime" will soon be applied across America.

In the 27 years of
this ministry, I have never witnessed a more outrageous miscarriage of
justice than what is happening in Philadelphia. Four Christians are
facing up to 47-years in prison and $90,000 in fines for preaching the
Gospel on a public sidewalk, a right fully protected by the First
Amendment.

On October 10, 2004, the four Christians were
arrested in Philadelphia. They are part of Repent America. Along
with founder Michael Marcavage, members of Repent America—with
police approval--were preaching near Outfest, a homosexual event,
handing out Gospel literature and carrying banners with Biblical messages.

When they tried to speak, they were surrounded by a group of
radical homosexual activists dubbed the Pink Angels. A videotape of
the incident shows the Pink Angels interfering with the Christians’
movement on the street, holding up large pink symbols of angels to cover
up the Christians' messages and blowing high pitched whistles to drown out
their preaching.

Rather than arrest the homosexual activists
and allow the Christians to exercise their First Amendment rights, the
Philadelphia police arrested and jailed the Christians!

They
were charged with eight crimes, including three felonies: possession of
instruments of crime (a bullhorn), ethnic intimidation (saying that
homosexuality is a sin), and inciting a riot (reading from the Bible some
passages relating to homosexuality) despite the fact that no riot
occurred.

You may think I am exaggerating. I'm not. Our
AFA Center for Law and Policy is representing these four individuals at no
cost. We will take this case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary
to get justice.

There is so much more about this case I don't have
room for it in this letter. We have prepared a 25-minute VHS/DVD in which
two AFA-CLP attorneys discuss the case in detail.

Please help us
with our expenses in representing these committed Christians. With your
tax-deductible gift of $15, less than the cost of a cup of coffee once a
month for the next year, we will send your choice of either the VHS or
DVD. Watch the VHS/DVD, then share it with your Sunday school class and
church. This VHS/DVD should be required viewing in every church in
America.

Thanks for
caring enough to get involved. We must not allow this travesty of justice
to continue.

Sincerely,

Don

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and ChairmanAmerican Family
Association

P.S. Please forward this email to family and friends.

It's
Not Gay: This 28-minute video presents a story that few have
heard, allowing former homosexuals the opportunity to tell their own story
in their own words. Along with medical and mental health experts, these
individuals express a clear warning that the sanitized version of
homosexuality being presented to students is not the whole
truth.

Spiritual
Heritage Tours - Tours of Washington, D.C. and Mount Vernon with
an emphasis on America's Christian heritage, led by AFA president Tim
Wildmon and AFR general manager Marvin Sanders.